High performance resilient skate wheel with compression modulus gradient

Abstract

A high performance resilient skate wheel ( 100 ) including a solid core tire ( 102 ) and a hub ( 104 ) defining a bearing axis. The solid core tire ( 102 ) includes an inner ring ( 106 ) and an outer tire material ( 108 ) disposed about the inner ring and forming a rolling surface of the wheel. The outer tire material ( 108 ) is harder than the inner ring ( 106 ). The inner ring ( 106 ) has a stepped profile in cross section, defining a middle portion disposed axially between lateral portions of the inner ring, with the middle portion having a greater outer diameter than the lateral portions. Making the solid core skate wheel ( 100 ) includes providing a hub assembly having an inner ring ( 106 ) with a stepped profile in cross section disposed about a wheel hub ( 104 ), and over molding the inner ring with a tire material ( 108 ) forming a rolling surface of the wheel.

1 . A wheel comprising:
 a hub defining a bearing axis; and   a tire mounted about the hub, the tire comprising:
 an inner ring; and 
 an outer tire material disposed about the inner ring and forming a rolling surface of the wheel, wherein:
 the outer tire material is harder than the inner ring; and 
 the inner ring has a stepped profile in cross section, defining a middle portion disposed axially between lateral portions of the inner ring, with the middle portion having a greater outer diameter than the lateral portions. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the Bashore rebound of the inner ring is at least about 65%. 
     
     
         3 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring extends a distance of between about 6 mm and about 15 mm from the hub. 
     
     
         4 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the tire material has a hardness of between about 70 Shore A and about 95 Shore A. 
     
     
         5 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the profile of the inner ring defines a single step on either side of the middle portion. 
     
     
         6 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring has a compression stress between about 35 psi and about 160 psi when under a compression strain of 20%. 
     
     
         7 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the wheel has a compression modulus gradient in which the compression modulus of the wheel varies along the bearing axis in accordance with the stepped profile of the inner ring. 
     
     
         8 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring has a hardnes between about 40 Shore A and about 75 Shore A. 
     
     
         9 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the wheel is an in-line skate wheel. 
     
     
         10 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring is formed by thermoset urethane casting of urethane precursors comprising one or more components selected from the group consisting of MDI, , TDI, PPDI; PTMEG with a molecular weight between about 1000 and about 3000: polycliol or polyamine, and butadiene diol, propylene diol, pentane diol, and hexanediol with a molecular weight between about 40 and about 80. 
     
     
         11 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the tire material contacts the hub. 
     
     
         12 . A method of making a solid core skate wheel, the method comprising;
 providing a hub assembly comprising an inner ring having a stepped profile in cross section disposed about a wheel hub, defining a middle portion disposed axially between lateral portions of the inner ring, with the middle portion having a greater outer diameter than the lateral portions; and   over molding the inner ring with a tire material forming a roiling surface of the wheel, such that the inner ring is encapsulated of at least partially surrounded by the tire material and the tire material is fixed to the hub assembly, thereby forming a tire from the tire material having a hardness greater than the hardness of the inner ring.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the inner ring contacts the hub. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the inner ring forms a seamless mass of resin. 
     
     
         15 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the lateral portions of the inner ring extend a distance of between about 2 mm and about 12 mm from the hub. 
     
     
         16 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring has a compression strain between about 5% and about 50% when under a compression stress of 75 psi. 
     
     
         17 . The wheel of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring contacts the hub. 
     
     
         18 . A wheel comprising:
 a hub defining a bearing axis;   a solid core tire comprising:
 a tire material fixed to the hub; and 
   a multi-layer composite coaxial with the bearing axis, the multi layer composite forming a ring around the hub and at least partially surrounded by the tire material, wherein:
 the multi-layer composite comprises a medial layer and at least two lateral layers adjacent to the medial layer, 
 a hardness a the medial layer of the inalti-layer composite is equal to or greater than a hardness of at least one of the lateral layers of the multi-layer composite, and a hardness of the tire material is greater than the hardness of at least one of the lateral layers, and 
 an outer diameter of the multi-layer composite is less than or equal to an outer diameter of the tire material.